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Help at Home for Aging Parents

By Christy Biswell The 700 Club

In 1994, Paul and Lori Hogan co-founded Home Instead Senior Care, a provider of non-medical home care and companionship services for seniors. The idea for the company was birthed out of their own personal experiences caring for Paul’s elderly grandmother for over a decade. Paul’s grandmother had a network of family to help provide the services that she needed. However, Paul began to realize that some families and seniors did not have a network to provide needed services.

With a God-given vision, Paul and Lori decided to start a company that would duplicate the way a network of relatives would help an elderly person. The company would offer non-medical home care and elder companionship services to help seniors live independently at home.

The company initially began operating from an office in Paul’s mother’s home with one desk and one computer. In June 1995, the company began franchising. By 1998, Home Instead Senior Care had grown to 99 offices and was recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as one of the 100 fastest growing franchise companies in the United States. In 2000, Home Instead Senior Care began international development with the opening of an international partner relationship in Osaka, Japan with Duskin Corporation.

Today, Home Instead Senior Care is a $700 million company and is the world’s largest provider of non-medical home care and companionship services for seniors. There are more than 800 franchises in the United States, Canada, Japan, Portugal, Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Spain, New Zealand, Taiwan, Switzerland and Germany.
Franchise offices employ nearly 50,000 trained caregivers, who provide millions of hours of elder care services annually through more than 60 home care activities that include companionship, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, errands and shopping. The Home Instead Senior Care network's mission is to be the world's trusted source of companionship and home care for seniors.

“We didn't invent the idea of senior care, since it's been around in families or other forms for generations," Paul said. "But we did start the non-medical senior care industry."

“40-70 RULE”

Your dad's neighbor just called to tell you that your 79-year-old father sideswiped his parked vehicle and nearly hit a child standing nearby. Was it an isolated slip-up or the sign that it's time for your dad to think about giving up his car keys? More importantly, how do you begin the discussion about such a potentially volatile subject?

Sensitive senior subjects such as this prompted Home Instead to launch a public education program called the “40-70 Rule.” The program was launched in February 2008. Currently, over 400,000 guides have been distributed worldwide. Paul says the program is designed to help adult children talk with their aging parents about difficult issues.

The “40-70 Rule” means if you are 40, or your parents are 70, it’s time to start talking about certain senior issues. Paul recommends that the sooner these conversations take place the better. Baby Boomers find it hard to talk with their parents about: (42%) Needing to leave home; (30%) Losing driving privileges; (11%) Money/Finances; and (11%) Health. The “40-70 Rule” is a free guide that can be downloaded at www.homeinstead.com.

SEVEN STEPS TO HELP START

One of the biggest communication obstacles adult children encounter when addressing difficult issues with their parents comes from the continuation of the parent-child role. Below are some suggestions to help adult children of older adults know how to talk about difficult issues.

Get started – If you’re 40 or your parents are 70, it’s time to start observing and gathering information carefully and thoughtfully.

Talk it out – Discuss what you’ve observed and ask your parents what they think is going on.

Sooner is best – Talk sooner, rather than later when a crisis has occurred.

Forget the baby talk – Patronizing speech or baby talk will put older adults on the defensive and convey a lack of respect for them.

Maximize independence – Always try to move towards solutions that provide the maximum amount of independence for the older person.

Stay tuned in - If a parent dies, soon afterward, the surviving parent may find it difficult to function without social support. Make sure that your mom or dad has friends and a social life.

Ask for help – Many of the issues of aging can be solved by providing parents with the support they need to continue to maintain their independence.